Comics have a long history. Newspaper comics started with The Yellow Kid by Richard Felton Outcault in 1895. The first modern comic was an anthology of newspaper comic scripts reprinted in the comic book format called the Funnies from Dell Publishing in 1929. With creativity and passion for the art form, its good to see creators still making great newspaper scripts in 2025.
The newspaper A Kid and a Comic is a print publication that features a collection of original, all-ages, varied genre comic strips. To learn more about this project, I spoke with a number of the writers and artists who contribute to the paper. They shared insights into their creative backgrounds, their features in the newspaper, and their approach to making comics for a modern audience.
The following is an interview with John Kanakry, the creator of A Kid and a Comic, and some his contributors: Michael Grassia, Dave London, Pete Chianca, Stamatis Lymberopoulos, Rick Brooks, Davy Jones, J. M. DeSantis, Bill Morrison, Reilly Brown, Ray Reynet, Chris Ring, Glenn Whitmore, Keith Williams, Keith “Kez” Wilson, and Scott Shaw! 16 interviews!
Congratulation to John and the A Kid and a Comic gang for continuing a grand tradition in style!
Interview with John Kanakry
Creator and publisher of A Kid and a Comic
JOESEPH SIMON: How does A Kid and a Comic draw inspiration from classic newspaper comic strips like The Yellow Kid or Katzenjammer Kids?
JOHN KANAKRY: I think the format alone carries that tradition, and as newspapers fade as a traditional media, it enhances the remembrance of yesteryear.
1st: What aspects of the old Sunday funnies do you aim to bring back, and how do you update them for today’s readers?
JOHN KANAKRY: By simply being simple. Create smiles, adventures, and creativity in a no-electronic format. Give the eyes a rest and the brain a little fun fuel. Updating it can be as simple as relevant topics and current artists.
1st: Why did you choose a newspaper format for your comics, and how does that connect to the original way comics were published in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?
JOHN KANAKRY: The choice was easy. I wanted a format that was more disposable, less sterile than what today’s collectors make. Nothing graded or 1 of 1s. In the early years of comics, they were handed on and put in back pockets. That’s what we are looking for here.
1st: How do you see your project fitting into the tradition of comics as both entertainment and a way to encourage literacy and creativity in young readers?
JOHN KANAKRY: It’s really two-part. First, create a product that holds nostalgia for an older generation so they feel compelled to share with the younger generation in their lives. Giving multiple generations a common ground gives them a platform for learning to read, sharing stories, and ultimately developing a passion for literature.
1st: What challenges and opportunities do you face as a creator in the era of digital comics, compared to the early days of newspaper cartoonists?
JOHN KANAKRY: The biggest challenge is getting people to understand what we are from a consumer standpoint—the fact that we have value and, while newsprint is dying as a news source, the format is still valuable in this capacity.
1st: Are there specific historical comic strips or cartoonists who have influenced the style or content of your publication?
JOHN KANAKRY: Yes and no. Of course, Dick Tracy, Calvin and Hobbs, Peanuts, and the old Star Wars strips are heavy influences, but most of all, I wanted a variety of styles. I think our publication is eclectic; everything can be vastly different and yet fit in the same place harmoniously.
1st: How do you involve your audience in the creative process, and how does that compare with the way early comic strips engaged their readers?
JOHN KANAKRY: Almost all the correspondence in the paper goes to the appropriate artist, but the in-person aspect at Comic Conventions offers a personal connection that early comics did not offer.
1st: What do you hope readers today take away from your comics, and how is that similar to or different from what readers got from the Sunday comics in the past?
JOHN KANAKRY: I hope they are completely different. Early comics were often used for political, sales, or even moral intent. I hope ours is an escape from all of that—to simplify things and enjoy a break.
Content and Curation
1st: How do you select and curate the comic strips, games, and puzzles that appear in each issue to ensure a balance of fun, creativity, and variety for readers of all ages?
JOHN KANAKRY: The first thing is to start with creative, talented, and enthused artists. We have industry veterans that just wow us every time we get a new strip. We also find up-and-coming artists that have new styles, jokes, and perspectives to add. The games and puzzles are a combination of the ones you know and some creative takes that draw nostalgia into the conversation, with maybe old products, cereal, toys… ect.
1st: What is your editorial vision for A Kid and a Comic, and how do you work with contributors to maintain a consistent tone and quality throughout the publication?
JOHN KANAKRY: It is quite different than the normal comic creations. Most of the editorial input happens as strips are submitted. The vets don’t need much input other than formatting from time to time. Artists new to the format benefit from some suggestions. It’s a tricky format if you’ve never done it.
1st: Can you describe your process for collaborating with artists and writers, especially when developing new features or interactive content?
JOHN KANAKRY: Usually, it’s theme-based, such as our Holiday annual each year or maybe Halloween or other themes. I give them parameters, and sometimes we talk loosely about what we want. Mostly, I let them do what they do best and be creative.
1st: What feedback or reactions from readers have most influenced your approach as a content editor, and how do you use that input to evolve the publication?
JOHN KANAKRY: Just talking to people, be it email or in person. I want to know what they like, but more importantly, what they can do without. I pay attention to what age groups are saying what so we can remain balanced.
1st: How do you incorporate interactive elements (like puzzles or games) into your comic contributions, and what do you hope readers take away from these features?
JOHN KANAKRY: One of our favorite interactives is “Henshu’s Quest”. We hid a small symbol 14 different places in the paper and not easy ones. Readers have to locate them. We want readers invested, similarly to MAD magazine in part.
A sampling of the interactive elements of A Kid and a Comic.
The following are interviews with a sampling of the talents you’ll find inside the pages of A Kid and a Comic. Michael Grassia, Dave London, Pete Chianca, Stamatis Lymberopoulos, Rick Brooks, Davy Jones, J. M. DeSantis, Bill Morrison, Reilly Brown, Ray Reynet, Chris Ring, Glenn Whitmore, Keith Williams, Keith “Kez” Wilson, and Scott Shaw all took to the same questions that I asked and showed the hard work goes into making each of their stories for the paper. You can go to https://akidandacomic.com to find out more.
Let’s start!
Interview with Rick Brooks
Creator of Mr. Morris
1st: Please start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your creative background. Then,
could you tell us what your feature in A Kid and a Comic is about and what inspired you to create it?
Rick Brooks: My name is Rick Brooks. I am a middle school art teacher, but I am also a freelance cartoonist. Over the years, I have illustrated stories for a number of nationally distributed independent comic book publishers, but most of my cartooning experience has been in the field of newspapers. I drew editorial cartoons on local issues for ten years, first for San Antonio’s Prime Time Press and later for the Hill Country Weekly. This involved weekly meetings with editors about what topics were in the news, researching, and drawing cartoons. It was very rewarding to work on issues that impacted people locally. For the past twelve years, I have created a weekly self-syndicated comic strip called Mr. Morris, which is carried in fifteen newspapers (including A Kid and a Comic) across seven different states. I created a feature about students and their teacher since I saw opportunities for material every day in my own classroom.
1st: How do you approach creating a comic strip that fits the newspaper format and appeals to both kids and adults, drawing from the tradition of classic Sunday funnies?
Rick Brooks: My strips follow the classic three- or four-panel gag-a-day format. Since my feature only runs once a week, I rarely run extended narrative arcs or continuity. I think it is asking too much of my audience to expect them to carry a story for weeks at a time. School is a universal experience for people, so I use that to help make my characters and situations relatable.
1st: Which artists or comic strips from the history of newspaper comics have influenced your work, and why?
Rick Brooks: Every cartoonist for the past fifty years has been influenced by Charles Schulz, and I am no exception. I learned how to read from Peanuts collections, and reading those collections also taught me about pacing, structure, and composition. Certainly, Garry Trudeau and Bill Watterson are also major influences on my work.
1st: What unique challenges or opportunities do you find in contributing to a collaborative, print-based comic project like this, compared to digital or solo work?
Rick Brooks: I prepare my strip in four different formats for my clients. Four of my newspapers prefer to receive the strips in black and white. For these clients, I use Photoshop to add a traditional zip-a-tone effect to the strips. Most of my clients publish the strip in color, so I also prepare a color file. Two newspapers want both formats (b/w for print and color for their website). A Kid and a Comic and one other paper want the strip stacked like a square. I am grateful to these publications for carving out valuable space for my feature and am happy to provide it to them in whatever format they want.
Interview with Davy Jones
Creator of Charmy’s Army
1st: Please introduce yourself and share a bit about your creative background.
Davy Jones: My name is really Davy Jones. No one ever believes me, but it is. I do not live in a locker. I cannot play the tambourine. Some say I cannot draw, but everyone has their own opinions. For nearly two decades, I worked in the toy industry while I dreamed of becoming a cartoonist. After developing nearly a dozen comic strips over the years and armed with nothing but pencils, pens, and a slightly questionable sense of reality, I created a universe where ants serve in the army, chimps stage toe-wiggling fiascos, and a lady named Candy hosts all the chaos at her establishment known as The Candy Bar.
1st: Could you tell us what your feature in A Kid and a Comic is about and what inspired you to create it?
Davy Jones: My inspiration for this comic strip struck me while I was eating at a dirty Chinese food restaurant. The food was nasty, so all I could think about was the kitchen. It had to be infested with roaches, so I began doodling a character at the table that resembled a gross cockroach. Something compelled me to draw a helmet on his head, and it hit me! I changed the roach into an ant, and Charmy was born! After failing over and over again with my concepts for comic strips, I decided to make this comic strip as terrible as possible. I figured if I kept trying hard to make this comic strip as bad as possible, I could get all the bad energy out of my system. I thought if I used up all my bad ideas, I could switch gears, and my next comic strip would be awesome because I would only have good ideas. I made the ants as big as humans. I added a monkey that nobody can understand when he speaks. Then, I wrote terrible jokes that made no sense. The strip went viral, and newspapers began picking me up. I failed at being terrible.
1st: How do you approach creating a comic strip that fits the newspaper format and appeals to both kids and adults, drawing from the tradition of classic Sunday funnies? And which artists or comic strips from the history of newspaper comics have influenced your work, and why?
Davy Jones: I approach each strip like a movie director. Every panel needs to sell the story. I change the camera angle to get more feeling out of a scene. I will redraw scenes three or four times in order to have the flow work as smoothly as possible. Each strip takes hours, but the results are worth the effort. I channel the greats as I work—Charles M. Schulz, Berkeley Breathed, and Bill Watterson. These three cartoonists were my heroes. I was also inspired by Mad Magazine’s Don Martin, whose drawing style influenced how I draw today. When I write, I do not cater to an audience. I write gags and stories that make me laugh. If I do not find humor in my work, I will simply move on to the next idea. My strip must be family-friendly, so I skip over some very funny gags that are not newspaper-friendly. These gags are still family-friendly, but newspapers are a bit picky on what they consider printable content. Three years ago, I was accepted into the National Cartoonists Society, which was a dream of mine since I was a kid. I am also a member of Texas Cartoonists, which is a branch of the National Cartoonists Society. I am an occasional guest at comic conventions where I display my original strips in Artist Alley and sit on panels discussing my passion for the cartooning industry. At these shows, I love to inspire other artists who share this same crazy dream to become a published, viral cartoonist.
Interview with J. M. DeSantis
Creator of Chadhiyana & The Beast
1st: Please start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your creative background. Then, could you tell us what your feature in A Kid and a Comic is about and what inspired you to create it?
J. M. DeSantis: I’m J. M. DeSantis, and I’m a writer and artist of comics and novels. I work traditionally as an artist and lean mostly toward dark fantasy and horror in all of my work. Telling stories with my own characters has been a dream of mine since I was a kid, and I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to live that dream. As for what features in A Kid and a Comic, I’ve contributed two works so far. First was “The Beast“, created with artist Len Danovich (I wrote the scripts). It ran during the first season (issues 1–7) and followed a detective on an investigation that turned supernatural. Len and I plan to develop the character further at some point in the future. The second work is “Chadhiyana“. There was an opening in the paper, and John needed someone to fill in, so he asked if I had anything. Chadhiyana is a dark fantasy/sword & sorcery series I’ve been working on, on and off, since 2012 (and seen various publications). It’s set in a fictional world inspired by South Asia and follows the title character, Chadhiyana, a wandering swordswoman who fights monsters and saves the innocent. The story has some dark and heavy themes, but I cleaned it up a bit to fit the all-ages content of A Kid and a Comic. Each season will be a new adventure, written and drawn specifically for the newspaper.
1st: How do you approach creating a comic strip that fits the newspaper format and appeals to both kids and adults, drawing from the tradition of classic Sunday funnies?
J. M. DeSantis: As I said, Chadhiyana posed a bit of a challenge in that I had to tone down some of the source material for the newspaper, but that was the easy part. I just make sure I avoid certain subjects or representations of violence, and that isn’t stifling my creative voice. I think the more challenging part was the newspaper format and making sure that each installment of the story moves the tale along to a satisfying extent, while not crowding the strip with too many panels or too much detail (since I’m used to working with a full comic page, typically, for this sort of story).
1st: Which artists or comic strips from the history of newspaper comics have influenced your work, and why?
J. M. DeSantis: It’s funny because, in retrospect, I could easily say that Gary Gianni’s run on Prince Valiant is wonderful, but I couldn’t say that any of the newspaper comics from my childhood influenced my work today. Except that I do love writing comedy and adding humor into my work, and Garfield was my favorite newspaper comic as a kid.
1st: What unique challenges or opportunities do you find in contributing to a collaborative, print-based comic project like this, compared to digital or solo work?
J. M. DeSantis: I’ve worked in print and digital my entire career, so that particular element of working on the newspaper isn’t something that’s been a challenge for me. The opportunities and challenges of being on a collaborative work of this scale are something different. Although thinking about it too much could drive a person crazy, the fact that so many creators of varying experience levels are working on the newspaper creates a greater opportunity for all of our works to be seen—as we all bring our own audiences with us, as well as new readers. On the flip side, that also means you have a lot of people counting on you, not just to get the work done and delivered, but also to deliver quality work for the readers. In a way, each person’s contribution is a reflection of the entire whole. We’re all just very lucky that John (Kanakry) is a great and understanding guy and seems to genuinely like what everyone is contributing. We all have one fan, at least! And that’s how it starts.
Interview with Michael Grassia
Creator of The Whimsical Wiz
1st: Please start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your creative background. Then, could you tell us what your feature in A Kid and a Comic is about and what inspired you to create it?
Michael Grassia: It was a cold Tuesday, February 10, 1976, around 11 a.m. when Michael Grassia escaped his nine-month prison sentence. But his newfound freedom didn’t come without its struggles. Michael was different…at least that was the adjective most often used to describe him throughout the years. Born with illness, Michael found sanctuary in the power of the pencil. He often escaped reality through comics and cartoons, which sparked his imagination. As Michael grew, he embraced the art of cartooning, devoting his life to the craft. Influenced by artists such as Sergio Aragones, Carl Barks, Curt Swan, Alex Toth, Peyo, Akira Toriyama, and more, Michael worked hard and entered the art world in 1994 at the age of eighteen as a character designer for educational video games. Since then, Michael’s work has appeared in comics, animation, children’s books, and video games. He has also worked in graphic design, video production, and puppetry. Michael is the host of GET IN TOON!, a weekly livestream that airs on YouTube where he talks with comic and cartoon creatives. Additionally, Michael is an educator who has taught every age from kindergarten to adult, both in-person and virtually. Best known for his comics PLUNGER PUP and THE WHIMSICAL WIZ, Michael’s art is a modern take on classic styles and themes that invoke nostalgia in his viewers. You can normally find Michael in his home studio working on his comics. But visitors beware…Michael is a terrific cook and will offer you food. My comic feature is THE WHIMSICAL WIZ. I created it in 2017 as an experiment to see if I could create a comic solely on my new iPad Pro, and it turns out I could. These days, I work between my iPad and computer, depending on my mood. I’ve always loved the fantasy genre, and for years, I always drew a little wizard for fun. I decided it was a good time to do something with the character, and it was then that THE WHIMSICAL WIZ was born. I chose to draw it newspaper style because I have always loved newspaper comics and enjoy how quick you can tell a story or joke.
1st: How do you approach creating a comic strip that fits the newspaper format and appeals to both kids and adults, drawing from the tradition of classic Sunday funnies?
Michael Grassia: I try to pull my ideas from everyday life and put a humorous spin on the situations. After a while, once you get familiar with your characters, they kind of just write themselves. It’s strange but true.
1st: Which artists or comic strips from the history of newspaper comics have influenced your work, and why?
Michael Grassia: I could name every artist I’ve looked at. To choose a short list, Sergio Aragones, Carl Barks, Peyo, Alex Toth, Joe Kubert, Hal Foster, Alex Raymond, Curt Swan, Gil Kane, Jack Kirby, John Buscema, John Romita Sr., Dr. Seuss, Mort Walker, Akira Toriyama and too many more mangakas (manga artists) to name. I am very influenced by animation, and the classic cartoons of Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. are my favorites.
1st: What unique challenges or opportunities do you find in contributing to a collaborative, print-based comic project like this, compared to digital or solo work?
Michael Grassia: I really don’t find any challenges, mostly opportunities. My goal truly is to entertain people with my comics and just enjoy making people laugh through my art. I have always said, “I don’t care if you laugh with me or at me. As long as you laugh, I did my job.” Being part of A KID AND A COMIC allows my comic to reach more people and help achieve my goal. I am very honored to be part of the paper and have my comic surrounded by so many other amazing strips.
Interview with Dave London & Pete Chianca
Creators of Pet Peeves
1st: Please start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your creative background. Then, could you tell us what your feature in A Kid and a Comic is about and what inspired you to create it?
Dave London & Pete Chianca: Since this is a partnership, there are two of us answering: Dave London (artist) is a cartoonist and illustrator—and an active member of the National Cartoonists Society—whose clients include the Wall Street Journal, the Saturday Evening Post, and Reader’s Digest. Pete Chianca (writer) has been recognized with multiple awards for his humorous columns and commentary and is also the author of the book Glory Days: Springsteen’s Greatest Albums. (Just to clarify, we don’t always talk about ourselves in the third person.) We began our partnership in college (at Tufts University) and have been working on various creative ventures ever since. Our previous comic strip, Grey Matter, ran in more than 100 newspapers nationwide and in Canada. Pet Peeves follows a family of anthropomorphic dogs as they navigate life in the digital age: Dad CJ is a kid at heart and pop culture maven who relates a little more to his overachieving, Broadway-loving daughter Sara than his less-motivated, sports-obsessed son Freddy; and mom Jasmine (Jazz) is more appreciative of Freddy’s sports dreams, even as she dreads Sara growing up too fast. The concept of the strip is that together—sometimes successfully, sometimes not so much—they experience the pitfalls of modern parenting, occasionally musing about life before children, and old dreams exchanged for new ones that, in their own way, are even more satisfying. At least they keep telling themselves that. As for us, as the parents of (collectively) five children, family humor has run rampant in our lives. This led to the idea to create a classic family strip, but with animal characters because they are fun to draw! Pet Peeves debuted in February 2016 and was initially distributed by Gannett’s More Content Now news service before that folded. The first three years of strips were published as Pet Peeves, the book, in April 2019, with the second collection, More Social Than Distant, debuting in March 2021, and the third Pet Peeves collection, “Nerd Dad!” following in June 2024. We have also published two collections of gag cartoon offshoots known as Pet Peeves “Singles.” The first collection, Aren’t You Finished Yet?, was published in 2022, and the sequel, Tough Crowd!, was just published in June 2025. (And for the very young, we put out a Pet Peeves coloring book.) We also host the Strip Search comic strip podcast, where we interview creative professionals in the comics and cartooning industry.
1st: How do you approach creating a comic strip that fits the newspaper format and appeals to both kids and adults, drawing from the tradition of classic Sunday funnies?
Dave London & Pete Chianca: Because our strip is molded in the classic format (horizontal layout with 3 or 4 panels: an introduction, setup, and punchline), it lends itself to newspaper composition. Our strip’s focus on family humor and humorous situations appeals to children and adults alike. (We hope!) We write material about school, family dynamics, jobs, sports, activities, and more.
1st: Which artists or comic strips from the history of newspaper comics have influenced your work, and why?
Dave London & Pete Chianca: Not surprisingly, Charles Schulz is at the top of the list. Peanuts’ humor derives from character personalities and interactions—what we strive for in Pet Peeves. Two other strips of influence are Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes (both art and writing are top-notch) and Berke Breathed’s Bloom County (character development replete with pop culture humor). You’ll probably notice hints of Bill Amend’s Foxtrot in there, too.
1st: What unique challenges or opportunities do you find in contributing to a collaborative, print-based comic project like this, compared to digital or solo work?
Dave London & Pete Chianca: The thing about solo work is that it’s, well, solitary—although we have the benefit of having each other to work with, being an artist-writer team. But we love how being involved with A Kid and a Comic makes us feel part of something bigger and even more collaborative. Plus, say what you will about the digital revolution, but there’s still nothing quite like being able to hold up a print newspaper or similar publication and see your work living alongside other such talented cartoonists. (Also, it comes in handy if you run out of wrapping paper!)
Interview with Stamatis Lymberopoulos
Creator of Today’s Special Comic
1st: Please start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your creative background. Then, could you tell us what your feature in A Kid and a Comic is about and what inspired you to create it?
Stamatis Lymberopoulos: My name is Stamatis Lymberopoulos. I grew up in Queens, New York. I have been drawing cartoons as far as my memory serves. I attended The School of Visual Arts where I gained many new skills and lasting relationships. I’ve tabled in Artist Alley at NYC Comic Con as well as tabled with the National Cartoonist Society. I am a proud member of the NCS. I’ve collaborated with Gamestop, Bored Panda, self-published, and have also been published in A Kid and a Comic Newspaper. I am the creator of “Today’s Special Comic“, a single-panel comic which is based on a play on words to all things food related. The concept came to me many years ago when I was reading a menu in a diner and found all the food items listed when read literally were hilarious, and I hoped I could influence people to allow themselves to be silly and see things as I do.
1st: How do you approach creating a comic strip that fits the newspaper format and appeals to both kids and adults, drawing from the tradition of classic Sunday funnies?
Stamatis Lymberopoulos: When creating this comic, I find light-hearted humor always works best. I love making people pause for a second until they get the joke. Coming up with content is something that comes to me in waves. I usually jot them down and hand-draw them as I go. I’m a big fan of the newspaper era of comic strips and Sunday Funnies. I hope people will look forward to finding my comic amongst so many great cartoons in our newspaper.
1st: Which artists or comic strips from the history of newspaper comics have influenced your work, and why?
Stamatis Lymberopoulos: I’ve always been the biggest fan of “The Far Side“; Gary Larson was my childhood influence. I’ve been told by fans my work reflects his style, which is beyond flattering and honoring to hear. The Simpsons creator, Matt Groening, is an icon in my eyes and will always be the gold standard in cartooning history. Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson and Garfield creator Jim Davis were and will remain a major part of my comic strip fandom as well.
1st: What unique challenges or opportunities do you find in contributing to a collaborative, print-based comic project like this, compared to digital or solo work?
Stamatis Lymberopoulos: The opportunity to have my work published in a physical newspaper will always trump digital work for me. There is just something special and nostalgic about holding and flipping through an actual newspaper. Although digital is the more dominant media, print still has a fan base that lives on strong.
Interview with Bill Morrison
Creator of Victor Victorious
1st: Please start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your creative background. Then, could you tell us what your feature in A Kid and a Comic is about and what inspired you to create it?
Bill Morrison: My name is Bill Morrison, and I’m mostly known for drawing The Simpsons in comics and books, and for all kinds of merchandise. I was also the art director on the Futurama TV series, the editor-in-chief of MAD Magazine, and the author/artist of the official graphic novel adaptation of The Beatles Yellow Submarine. My feature in A Kid and a Comic is Victor Victorious. Victor is a patriotic superhero that is a comic within a comic, namely my creator-owned series Roswell: Little Green Man. Victor Victorious is the favorite comic character of Jasper Kudzu, a main character in my Roswell series. He’s been in the back of my mind for years, and I have a story arc planned for Roswell that involves Jasper and his obsession with Victor, but A Kid and a Comic gave me the opportunity to start developing his origin and exploits.
1st: How do you approach creating a comic strip that fits the newspaper format and appeals to both kids and adults, drawing from the tradition of classic Sunday funnies?
Bill Morrison: Since my strip is story-based and in the humor/adventure genre, I try to keep it light and funny when possible and always end each strip with a moment that makes the reader want to know what happens next.
1st: Which artists or comic strips from the history of newspaper comics have influenced your work, and why?
Bill Morrison: There are way too many to list, but some that come to mind are Popeye, Batman, Li’l Abner, The Spirit…I tend to like strips that have a mix of humor and adventure, and ones that are drawn very well. But I also like strips that are gag-driven and without a continuing storyline like Archie, Donald Duck, Mutts, and Peanuts. Again, the quality of the art is very important.
1st: What unique challenges or opportunities do you find in contributing to a collaborative, print-based comic project like this, compared to digital or solo work?
Bill Morrison: The biggest challenge for me is telling an ongoing story in a paper that doesn’t come out every week. I worry that the audience will forget what’s come before, so I do what I can to remind them of where we are in the story, but that can eat up precious space. I’ve thought about changing Victor Victorious to a done-in-one gag strip, and the few times when I’ve done a puzzle or joke ad with the characters have been rewarding.
Interview with Reilly Brown
Artist for Thunder Guardian
1st: Please start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your creative background. Then, could you tell us what your feature in A Kid and a Comic is about and what inspired you to create it?
Reilly Brown: I’m Reilly Brown, and I’m probably best known for my work at Marvel and DC, on comics such as Cable & Deadpool, Amazing Spider-Man, Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point, the Masters of the Universe mini comics, and plenty of other comics as well. For A Kid and a Comic, I draw the Thunder Guardian comic strip, which is written by my son, Will. He always has such imaginative ideas, and he used to come home from kindergarten with these drawings of characters, and I’d ask him who they were, and he’d tell me the craziest stories, that were better than anything I was getting from any publisher, and I just said “THIS is the comic I want to be drawing!” And so, there you have it!
1st: How do you approach creating a comic strip that fits the newspaper format and appeals to both kids and adults, drawing from the tradition of classic Sunday funnies?
Reilly Brown: I’m a huge fan of old school newspaper adventure strips, so this was a great opportunity to do something in that vein. Will’s stories are a great window into the imaginations of kids, and it’s a lot of fun to take his ideas and use my years of professional experience to turn them into a story that makes sense. Well, KIND OF makes sense, ha ha! Capturing the zaniness of his imagination is a huge part of the fun of Thunder Guardian, so if it’s not at least a little bit crazy then I’m not doing it right!
1st: Which artists or comic strips from the history of newspaper comics have influenced your work, and why?
Reilly Brown: Some of my favorite newspaper strips are Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon, and Stan Lee and John Romita’s Spider-Man. Both of those use the form so well, and tell such fun and exciting adventures. Hopefully, I’m able to capture some of that in my own work. I also love humor strips like Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes, and since humor is such a big part of Thunder Guardian, as well as adventure, and those both play with the themes of kids imaginations as well.
1st: What unique challenges or opportunities do you find in contributing to a collaborative, print-based comic project like this, compared to digital or solo work?
Reilly Brown: One thing to keep in mind with this newspaper format is breaking the story down into these single-page chunks, and making sure that each strip has some punch-line, or cliff-hanger, or crazy idea, or something that makes it work on its own as a storytelling unit. Most comics I work on give me 22 pages to work with, so if I need more space for a scene, I can just take it onto the next page. Not here! In the newspaper strip format, every page has to reintroduce the characters, reestablish the scene, and come to a satisfying conclusion by the end. That can be tough to make every single page work like that! But the challenge is what makes it fun. Another challenge is just working with my collaborator, Will! He tells me great stories, but he doesn’t always start at the beginning, or end at the end, and sometimes takes long goofy tangents in the middle that contradict other parts of the story. I don’t want to edit him TOO much, because his storytelling style is part of what I’m trying to get down on paper, but sometimes I have to tighten things up or reorganize them a bit. Then when I’m done, he looks at it and says “well, you got it mostly right. I guess we can call this YOUR version.” The little brat… lol
Interview with Ray Reynet
Creator of Tales from the Garden
1st: Introduce yourself and tell us about your feature in A Kid and a Comic.
Ray Reynet: I’m Ray Reynet, a 23-year-old self-published writer and illustrator from South Florida. I’ve been dreaming, drawing, and telling stories since elementary school, and comics have always been the way I bring my imagination to life. My main series, JUNKET: Hidden Worlds Revealed, is a mythology-fueled, all-ages adventure, like classic Marvel with a spark of Disney wonder. It’s a story I started developing back in middle school and decided to bring to life as a reality. I’ve published four full-color issues so far. For A Kid and a Comic, I created Tales from the Garden, a spinoff set in the JUNKET universe. It follows three misfit critters on a journey through an enchanted forest full of ancient secrets, cryptids, and unexpected twists. It’s packed with heart, fantasy, and fun for readers of all ages.
1st: How do you approach making a comic strip for both kids and adults in the classic newspaper format?
Ray Reynet: I believe everyone still carries a piece of their inner child. As an artist, I see it as my job to break through the adult exterior and spark something real, something that stays with you. My goal is to create stories that light up a kid’s eyes while giving adults something meaningful to reflect on. Like Schulz’s Peanuts or Carl Barks’ duck tales, the best stories work on multiple levels. When I draw, I imagine showing it to my younger self, and if I can see that 4-year-old version of me smiling, I know I’ve done something right. I want to brighten hearts and inspire wonder worldwide. This is just the beginning.
1st: Which newspaper comic artists influenced your work?
Ray Reynet: Charles Schulz’s Peanuts showed me how much power there is in simplicity. Charlie Brown and Snoopy are still as relatable and iconic as ever. Carl Barks’ Donald Duck adventures taught me how humor and emotion could live together in the same panel. Though I’m deeply rooted in comic book legends like Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Darwyn Cooke, Mike Mignola, and the Silver Age Marvel classics, especially Thor, Spider-Man, and Fantastic Four, I also draw a lot of inspiration from early animation. Fleischer’s Superman, Popeye, Betty Boop, Ub Iwerks’ work, classic Disney films, and the bold, stylized direction of Genndy Tartakovsky and Bruce Timm all inform my visual storytelling. I’m learning from the greats so I can build something new that the world hasn’t seen yet.
1st: What’s it like contributing to a collaborative print project like this?
Ray Reynet: It’s truly refreshing. As an indie creator, I usually work solo, so being part of a larger creative community like A Kid and a Comic is energizing. Each artist brings something unique, and together we’re creating something special that honors the tradition of print comics. It’s also great to see like-minded artists from different places unite on a new anthology paper. You never know which one of us has the next Superman up their sleeve. The format challenged me to tell a tighter, more focused story, and that discipline helped me sharpen my voice. Tales from the Garden may be a small part of the JUNKET universe, but it’s built with the same care, passion, and drive I pour into everything I do. Upward and onward.
Interview with Chris Ring
Creator of Allan Quatermain
1st: Please start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your creative background. Then, could you tell us what your feature in A Kid and a Comic is about and what inspired you to create it?
Chris Ring: I’m Chris Ring and while working on a few licensed properties, I’ve mainly done creator-owned projects over my 30-year career ranging from comics and graphic novels to children’s books. Currently I am writing and drawing “Allan Quatermain” in A Kid and a Comic because I thought the character would be a great pairing with what our publisher, John Kanakry, was striving to create.
1st: How do you approach creating a comic strip that fits the newspaper format and appeals to both kids and adults, drawing from the tradition of classic Sunday funnies?
Chris Ring: My approach is to be mindful that the reader could be jumping on at any moment so I try to have an intro that brings the reader in, while keeping the level of action as high as possible, then leave them with a cliffhanger ending to bring them back . . . at least that’s the plan.
1st: Which artists or comic strips from the history of newspaper comics have influenced your work, and why?
Chris Ring: My take on “Allan Quatermain” is heavily influenced by Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant and Lee Falk’s The Phantom. Sy Barry was one of my favorite artists with his run on The Phantom.v
1st: What unique challenges or opportunities do you find in contributing to a collaborative, print-based comic project like this, compared to digital or solo work?
Chris Ring: Collaborative work like this presents the ever-present challenge of hitting deadlines; thirty-plus other creators are counting on you to get your work in on time, but the camaraderie I’ve experienced going to shows with these other creators has been an unexpected bonus!
Interview with Glenn Whitmore
Creator of Captain Clockwork
1st: Please start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your creative background. Then, could you tell us what your feature in A Kid and a Comic is about and what inspired you to create it?
Glenn Whitmore: My name is Glenn Whitmore. I have been a professional colorist since 1986, beginning with coloring daily comic strips for the local newspaper. A year or so later, I was able to land work from both Marvel (staff position) and DC (Hawk & Dove mini, Superman books) which lasted throughout the 1990s. In the 2000s, I transitioned to digital colors, doing work for Steve Rude’s Moth and Nexus, TwoMorrows covers, and Archie Comics. My AKAAC feature is Captain Clockwork, a multi-generational hero who is responsible for making sure history runs correctly and on course, confronting anyone who threatens to de-rail it. The Clockworks use weapons such as a time-freeze ray, and a “time-line”(get it?) are used in their missions. My inspirations for the strip are Golden Age comics, Silver Age comics, and 20th-century history. When I was first conceptualizing the strip, I had four different designs of the character and could not decide which one to use, so I created a storyline/history that would include all four. Their times in action are World War II, the Cold War, the ‘90s, and today. I’ve been publishing Captain Clockwork stories on and off since the year 2000.
1st: How do you approach creating a comic strip that fits the newspaper format and appeals to both kids and adults, drawing from the tradition of classic Sunday funnies?
Glenn Whitmore: Proportionally, the “real estate” kindly allotted by John Kanakry is 12” x 8”. A 3:2 ratio. For many decades, comic book pages were 2:3, so it was easy for me to adjust. Because comic book stories are normally read in one sitting, the writer/artist has the luxury of not being required to get the reader up to speed with every page turn. The challenge in creating a story for the Sunday strip format is the fact that each page is spaced 2 months apart, which means that I have to spend the first panel of each page getting the reader up to speed, and then launch forward into the story. As succinctly as possible, both new and returning readers still need to know: Why does the hero have a bunch of guns pointed at him? Why is the heroine being threatened? The format is challenging because with each installment (3 tiers, 12 panels), I try to give the reader a sense of forward movement in the story arc. Also, I strive to tell stories that both children and adults can enjoy. With adventure strips, the stakes have to be high in order for the story to be compelling. With an all-ages audience, the hero’s failure or the damsel’s distress are best implied, not spelled out graphically. The trick is to show how the hero (and/or heroine) resourcefully resolve the crisis and avoid the danger.
1st: Which artists or comic strips from the history of newspaper comics have influenced your work, and why?
Glenn Whitmore: In regard to influences, I generally cite comic book artists as my artistic inspirations; Alex Toth, Mike Sekowsky, Darwyn Cooke, and Michael Cho are amongst the many. Toth often cited many strip artists like Milton Caniff and Roy Crane, so if any comic strip artist had an influence on my style, it’s probably Caniff. His work appealed to my sense of page/panel composition and black spotting. There’s no one artist I try to copy. My general “MO” in art approach is to observe a bunch of artists’ work that appeal to me and then try to internalize their approach and become part of their “school” (if that makes sense). In my opinion, an artist knows he’s on the right track when 10 people give 10 different artists’ names as to who his work reminds them.
1st: What unique challenges or opportunities do you find in contributing to a collaborative, print-based comic project like this, compared to digital or solo work?
Glenn Whitmore: I’m not sure this applies.
Interview with Keith Williams
Creator of Elva
1st: Please start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your creative background. Then, could you tell us what your feature in A Kid and a Comic is about and what inspired you to create it?
Keith Williams: Hi everyone! My name is Keith Williams. I have been in the comic book business for over forty years. I started as a background inker for Marvel. I worked for John Romita as an art corrector, an assistant editor for the Spiderman titles, and an inker on a number of Marvel, DC, and other companies’ books. My feature in A Kid and a Comic is called Elva. She’s a bounty hunter on a future dystopian earth. I created Elva as a class project at the School of Visual Arts. Will Eisner was my teacher. I was inspired by Wendy and Richard Pini’s Elfquest. I thought, what about an elf-like bounty hunter?
1st: How do you approach creating a comic strip that fits the newspaper format and appeals to both kids and adults, drawing from the tradition of classic Sunday funnies?
Keith Williams: My way to approach a comic strip is to try to make each week interesting. To have something that is fun for kids but would also grab an adult’s attention. To make the audience want more. This way, they would want to see what will happen next week.
1st: Which artists or comic strips from the history of newspaper comics have influenced your work, and why?
Keith Williams: I worked on the Phantom comic strip for ten years. Most of it was with the creator Lee Falk. I was the inker and letterer on the strip. George Olesen was the penciler. I hope that what I’ve learned during that time was storytelling.
1st: What unique challenges or opportunities do you find in contributing to a collaborative, print-based comic project like this, compared to digital or solo work?
Keith Williams: I would think that the deadlines are challenging. But, because of this comic strip, A Kid and a Comic, the upside is that I finally have my character out there in the world for everyone to see.
Interview with Keith “Kez” Wilson
Creator of A Werewolf Walks into a Bar
1st: Please start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your creative background. Then, could you tell us what your feature in A Kid and a Comic is about and what inspired you to create it?
Keith “Kez” Wilson: I’m Keith “Kez” Wilson. I’ve been knocking around comics since the late 80s. I started out as part of a fanzine called THE COMIC INFORMER, then got my foot in the comics door with Comico, The Comic Company, first inking Robotech: Masters over Neil Vokes then on Elementals with Bill Willingham. At one point, I moved to New York City where I ended up connecting with Richard Bruning at DC comics and went on staff there as an art director and designer, then cover editor. While there, I worked on such titles as POWER OF THE ATOM and ANGEL AND THE APE, and was co-creator on two creator-owned series, HAMMERLOCKE and SCARLETT. Later I returned to my home state of Texas and began working in Animation. Animation credits include the original SPACE JAM and the pilot for KING OF THE HILL. Nowadays, I returned to my advertising roots and I’m doing product design and illustration.
A WEREWOLF WALKS INTO A BAR is a story I came up with when I was sharing studio space and working with Kerry Gammill on his book BELA LUGOSI’S TALES FROM THE GRAVE. I’d had every intention of having my weird little story of revenge and redemption run in the Lugosi book, but it wasn’t meant to be. Until now, of course.
1st: How do you approach creating a comic strip that fits the newspaper format and appeals to both kids and adults, drawing from the tradition of classic Sunday funnies?
Keith “Kez” Wilson: I draw my inspiration for appealing to both kids and adults from Looney Tunes cartoons, which had fun, funny imagery with adult subtext to keep older people’s attention. My comic strip background comes from when I used to share studio space with Bill Hinds, co-creator of the sports strip TANK MCNAMARA (with the late Jeff Millar) and I learned some ins and outs of the newspaper strip biz. I have my own rejection letters from major syndicates to prove it.
1st: Which artists or comic strips from the history of newspaper comics have influenced your work, and why?
Keith “Kez” Wilson: My biggest comic strip influence is the aforementioned Bill Hinds, Chuck Jones is a major influence in my animation days, and my comic art influences aside from my Mount Rushmore of comic artists, Kirby, Ditko, Kane and Romita, are Kerry Gammill, Bill Willingham, Dick Giordano and Joe Rubinstein.
1st: What unique challenges or opportunities do you find in contributing to a collaborative, print-based comic project like this, compared to digital or solo work?
Keith “Kez” Wilson: The biggest challenge, as usual, are deadlines. All joking aside, the tough part is coming up with a story that will sustain itself over 7 chapters, and hopefully bring the reader back with each issue, ultimately ending with a decent payoff.
Interview with Scott Shaw!
Creator of Packratt and the Scroungers
1st: Please start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your creative background. Then, could you tell us what your feature in A Kid and a Comic is about and what inspired you to create it?
Scott Shaw!: For over fifty-four years, I have written and drawn underground comix, mainstream comics, TV cartoons, animated TV commercials, syndicated comic strips, graphic novels, and more. My recent books include Scott’s Kilgore Home Nursing, Scott Shaw!s Comix & Stories, and Dinosaurs Unleashed. Current projects include a spinoff of Erik Larsen’s Savage Dragon, my column for TwoMorrow’s Retrofan magazine, and my column “Oddball Comics” for Dan Greenfield’s online 13th Dimension. I’m also working on my longtime project, the TwoMorrow’s Oddball Comics book. I was a co-originator and board member of San Diego’s Comic-Con in 1970. My feature in A Kid and a Comic is “Packratt and the Scroungers“. I’m a collector and a big fan of Carl Barks’ Uncle Scrooge comics. The theme of the comic is that kids should collect what they love, not based on its monetary worth.
1st: How do you approach creating a comic strip that fits the newspaper format and appeals to both kids and adults, drawing from the tradition of classic Sunday funnies?
Scott Shaw!: I’ve been doing this for decades, and my approach is to be smart and stupid with humor. This helps to reach a wider audience.
1st: Which artists or comic strips from the history of newspaper comics have influenced your work, and why?
Scott Shaw!: I’ve been inspired by cartoonists who can both write and draw, such as Carl Barks, John Stanley, Jack Kirby, Bob Bolling, Gilbert Shelton, Sheldon Mayer, Dr. Seuss, and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, among many others.
1st: What unique challenges or opportunities do you find in contributing to a collaborative, print-based comic project like this, compared to digital or solo work?
Scott Shaw!: There are no challenges, except for my own intention to be entertaining and new, which I expect from myself. While Packratt and the Scroungers has a format like a Sunday strip, I’ve worked with similar measurements before. At 74, getting out of bed is more of a challenge than anything I’ve worked on for over half a century.
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Since the interview A Kid and a Comic has grown and now joined by the Raven. Described as a tabloid size newspaper in the horror genre, appropriate for most ages, not gory but nonetheless along the lines of Poe and Vincent Price. You can also find an assortment of merchandise there.
Find out more at https://akidandacomic.com
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